Concrete building block



July 13 1926. 1,592,416

D. TORRECELLI CONCRETE BUILDING BLOCK Filed Dec. 28. 1923 'INVENI DR IIE[3 1 UT RREBELLI AT'I'DR'NEY Patented July 13, 1926. v

UNITED "STATES FATE w es NT ,joFFicE.

nEoIo TORRECELLI, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

' ooivonnrnnninnme BLOCK.

Application filed Deoember28, 1923. Serial no. 683,252;

Another object of the invention is the provision ofa concrete buildingblock with an air passage extendin the block and through the meetingends of the block, so the blocks will be provided with air space underall blocks in the same vertical plane and the airspace ofvone horizontalrow'of blocks will be in communication with the air space of thehorizontal rows parallel therewith, through passages formed in theinterlocking ends of companion blocks;

Other objects will appear fromthe following specification of thedrawings which il lustrate the practical embodiment of the invention. Inthedrawings, V

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a single block. I I i i Fig. 2 is abottom plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end view two blocks in superimposed relation.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of two interlocked blocks.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of a wall.

Referring to' the accompanying drawings 5 designates one of the"building blocks,

which is composed of cement, concrete. or s preferably formed by coldmoulding. The block 5 is formed with a longitudinal air passage orchannel 6 in its base, which is located be tween the legs 7 and 8 whichextend from" one end of the block to the other end.

One end of the block 5 is formed witha recess 9'and the sidewalls 10 and11 of this recess are disposed on outwardly diverging planes. The otherend of the block is formed with alocking-lug 12, the depth of which isconsiderably less than the depth of the recess 9, and the sides of thislug 12 converge toward their end face ofthe lug. The

lug of one block is inserted in the recessed end of the adjacent blockof the same horizontal row in a wall construction, and the 7 meetingfaces of the opposing ends of the blocks are cemented by means of cementor the like 13, as indicated in Fig. 4. It will be seen from anexamination of this figure that the base of the recess 9 is not filledwith so that its g longitudinally of that a wall constructed with thecement, so that a normally open'air passage 14L is thus formed betweenthe end face i of the locking lug and the base of the recess.

hen a series of blocks are arranged in interlocked relation the airpassages 14; will be in normal conimunic passages 6 of the blocks of thesame horizontal row, and theair passages 6 of one horizontal row will"be in normal communi cation with the similar air passages ofeach I otherhorizontal row of a building. wall.

The cement or mortar which unites each block to its neighbor block ofone horizontal row to the adjacent horizontal row is dis ation with theair posed on the head face of the blocks of one I horizontal row so thatan excess amount of cement may be worked against the inner i faces ofthe legs 7 and 8 to provide widened sealing joints-or shoulders for saidlegs,

age

that when a horizontal row of blocks has been laid a continuouslongitudinal arch is formed, The'top face offeach block is closed,between the base face of the recess and the end face of the locking lug,so that the arch thus composed will have the greatest supportingstrength.

Owing to the sloping side faces and the U-shaped body. construction ofthe. entire block it can 'bemoulded with greater which willinsure"against slippage and leak I Each block forms a longitudinal arch soeconomy of time and labor and without dans ger of producing cloggedpassages or defective faces. In forming the block a greater density canbe obtained, by reason of the fact that pressure can be applied to theconcrete from one side of the block.

Owing to the construction of the recess and. terminalblock a fingerspace will be "provided at the meeting ends of a series of blocks whichwill enable the Workman to have fullcontrol of the block while placingit in position or adjusting it after it has been placed in building rowformation- Havingdescribed my invention I claim 1 1.; A concrete blockwall construction comprising a series of'concrete blocks arranged end toend in horizontal superimposed rows,

each block having a relativelydeep longitudinal channel extendingfromone end to the other end and providing a roof POTUOII thereof ofconsiderable less thickness than c the vertical thickness of the block,one end ofeach block having a recess wide enough to receive the fingersof a human hand,sa1d

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recess having outwardly diverging sides, the adjacent block end having atenon or corresponding shape to the recess and disposed in said recess,said tenon being of less depth than the recess to compose a normallyopen air passage with capacity suiiicient to receive the fingers of ahuman hand, the under face of the top all portion of the channel beinggraspable by the fingers of a hand inserted in said recess, each of saidblocks having one such tenon on the opposite end to said recess.

2. A concrete block having a longitudinal channel providing an overlyingroof and having a recess on one end and a tenon on the other end, therecess being deep enough to receive the fingers of the hand of aworkerwithout cramping and the tenon being of less depth than the recess, thetenon of one block entering the recess of an adjacent block in wallforming linear alignment, the distance between the upper face of theblock and the underface thereof immediately over the channel being lessthan the length of human fingers to permit the fingers of a handinserted in said recess or positioned around said tenon to fold underthe channel roof.

Signed by me at Springfield, Mass.

DECIO TOREECELLI.

